This weekend, YMTC — a company of 47 actors between 5 and 18 years old — will perform "Grease" and Disney's "The Jungle Book" at Bristol Community College's Margaret L. Jackson Performing Arts Center. Theater president Rick Pimentel said it's always tough to pick a show that appeals to all ages, so to solve the problem, he decided to stage two shows this year.

"We've never done two shows together," Pimentel said while on break from a rehearsal last week.

The ambitious youths will perform the musicals, beloved by generations of Americans probably more familiar with the iconic film versions, three times over three days. Several of them will appear in both productions, and in prominent roles.

Josh Boucher, a 12-year-old New Bedford resident, is preparing for his first leading role as Mowgli, a boy who prefers to live the animal life in "The Jungle Book." In rehearsals, he playfully breezes his way through "Bare Necessities" in a leafy skirt, befriending Baloo the bear and other jungle creatures along the way.

When it's time for "Grease," Boucher transforms. He ditches the fauna for a white T-shirt, a leather jacket and a bad-boy scowl, becoming Kenickie, a tough-talking member of the T-Birds gang at Rydell High School in 1959.

"It's pretty easy, but hard sometimes because of school and all that," Boucher said, still in "Mowgli" mode during a rehearsal. "The lines and the characters are both fun and I have friends here."

Boucher said he was nervous at first, but learned the routines for both roles relatively quickly. He prefers to shake off the jitters and enjoy the ride.

"Before you know it, it's gonna be over," he said.

Keegan Espinola of Dartmouth said he's excited to play Eugene Florczyk in "Grease," although the coconut tree he plays in "The Jungle Book" has a few lines and plenty of time on stage.

Inside the theater's rehearsal space, a tiny room in a mill at the end of quiet Father DeValles Boulevard, rehearsals for the two plays have kept the children busy several nights a week since October.

Choreographer Jocelyn White, who created all of the dances for the shows (except for a few of the classic numbers in "Grease"), said working with the young actors has been a pleasure.

"They're wonderful," she said. "They're so good, so respectful. They've come such a long way."

When the youths get restless — especially the youngest, whose attention spans aren't very long — White gently reminds them that their performances matter. When a bunch of pint-sized monkeys weren't committing to their characters during a rehearsal of "Bare Necessities" last week, White told them to straighten up.

"You're not tired monkeys," she scolded. "You're awake and ready-to-go monkeys. Be monkey-like."

Between songs, children squirmed and fidgeted on the rehearsal room's hardwood floor, occasionally running to their parents for comfort — no signs of stress.

If Pimentel has anything to be stressed about, it's the price tag on the productions. Together, the shows will cost about $23,000. YMTC, a non-profit, makes most of its money from ticket sales and donations, but also charges membership and costume fees. The sets and costumes are assembled by parent volunteers, and choreographers and directors are unpaid.

Despite the pressures that come with producing, Pimentel said the two-shows idea is paying off. He said "Fame" and "Aladdin" are already in the works for a summer pairing.

"It's working," he said. "The kids seem to like it."

After a few months of practice, there is some order to the chaos.

When "The Jungle Book" rehearsal ended last week, the younger actors left the building with their parents while the teens filed in for "Grease." Briefly, the mill resembled a high school during passing period.

Standing in the hallway with her castmates before rehearsal, Felicia Teves, who plays Jan in "Grease," said her thoughts were already on the final performance.

"The last one is going to be sad," the 16-year-old Pink Lady said in a maudlin tone, bringing her hand to her heart in a hyperbolic fashion only an actress could pull off.

"We've all become a family."

Teves conceded with her smile that she was being overly dramatic, but her castmates took her words seriously, and nodded in agreement.

"The Jungle Book" runs at 6 p.m. on Jan. 29 and 30 and 1 p.m. Jan. 31. "Grease" runs at 8 p.m. Jan. 29 and 30 and 3 p.m. Jan. 31. Tickets are $8 for "The Jungle Book" and $12 for "Grease." Combo tickets for both shows are available for $16. For tickets and more information, contact the YMTC box office at (508) 674-9703.

Phil Devitt is editor of The Fall River Spirit. He can be reached at editor@fallriverspirit.com or (508) 979-4492.

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